Qtto gale ogden



(No Model.)

0. G. OGDEN.

GAR GOUPLI'NG.

No. 528,383, Patent ed Oct. 30, 1894.

' INVENTOH MMG ' A TTOHNE Y8.

UMTED STATE PATENT QFFICE.

OTTO GALE OGDEN, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO BAYSE N. OGDEN, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 528,383, dated October 30, 1894.

Application filed May 4, 1894:. Serial No. 510,068- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, OTTO GALE OGDEN, of Louisville, in the county of J effenson and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improved Oar-Coupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in car couplings of the side latching type, and has for its objects to provide a novel and superior construction for a device of the type indicated, which is arranged to reliably interlock with a similar car coupling, and that is also adapted to receive adjustment which will permit the convenient connection with the improved coupling of an ordinary link and pin car-coupling when this is necessary. To these ends my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference represent corresponding parts in all the views shown.

Figure 1 is a sectional side view of the improved coupling broken away at the rear, taken on the line 11 in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the forward part of the coupling.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan View on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view, on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a front edge view in part of the novel coupling pin provided for the improved cou plin g, taken opposite the arrow 5 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional front view of one jaw of the drawhead, an engaged portion of a latch block partly in section, the pivot bolt connecting said parts, and a device adapted to retain the latch block in complete open adjustment or in a folded condition.

The drawhead 10 is given the external form usually provided for car couplings of the J anney type, which 'is the class to which the improvement belongs, said drawhead being formed of metal and having a widened head on an elongated body, the latter being adapted in the ordinary manner for an attachment on a car frame, at its end and transverse center, so as to be adapted for withstanding percussion and draft strains, and as these features do not embody the invention they are omitted from the drawings.

As represented, the drawhead 10 is sufficiently widened at and near the front end to permit a throat cavity or open recess 10*, in cup shape to be produced in said widened position.

The recess is intersected by the vertical slot 1O that extends a proper distance toward the rear of the drawheadinto'its body at its transverse center, forming a parallel sided passage through the top wall and a groove in the rear wall of the recess terminating at the front and rear in curved walls, so as to loosely receive the peculiarly shaped slide block 11, which is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 5, and will be more fully described.

The front edges of the top and bottom walls of the forward part of the drawhead 10 are in-curved a proper degree, thus producing a horn 10 on one side of the drawhead. Another horn like projection that is oppositely formed on the drawhead is horizontally slotted at its center, vertically considered, said slot havingsuch a form and dimensions as will produce two parallel jaws l0 on the drawhead side wall, which jaws are reinforced by integral rib formations around the free incurved front edges of the top and bottom walls, and which also strengthen the front edges mentioned, thereby adapting them to withstand the shocks incidental to the use of the coupling.

The latch block 12 is substantially L-shaped as Viewed in plan, having its coupling limb 12 horizontally furcated to receive an ordinary elongated coupling link-between the remaining portions, that are of an equal thickness and have vertically aligned perforations 12 formed in them to receive a common coupling-pin. (Not shown.) The other limb 12of the latch-block 12, is elongated and curved edgewise, so as to adapt its convex edge that in service lies near to the side wall of the drawhead to substantially conform with the concave curvature of the inner face of said side wall. v

The latch block 12 has its angular corner inserted between the jaws 10 and pivoted to these parts by a bolt 13, that passes through aligned perforations in the jaws and block, whereby the latter is permitted to receive the adjustment indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, so as to locate the entire latch block at the side of the drawhead and fully expose the recess of the drawhead, for the insertion of a coupling link in said recess, to be connected to the vertical lug or projection 10 that is formed on the lower wall of recessed portion of the drawhead at its transvere center.

The draft lug 10 is upwardly and rearwardly curved on its front edge, and has a portion of its top flattened, the rear end of said part being vertical and slightly rounded as is also the front edge.

The slide block 11 before mentioned, has its main portion made parallel on the sides, and of such a thickness and breadth from front to rear as will adapt it to freely slide in the slot 10", a portion 11 of the block being cylindrically shaped, to loosely engage a circular aperture formed in the lower wall of the recessed portion of the drawhead, as rep resented in Fig. 1, the length of said portion 11 being so proportioned that it will allow the slide block to receive a proper elevation and prevent a complete removal of the same, this being effected by a laterally projecting pin 11 that is fixed in the part 11 near its lower terminal.

There is an integral depending hook nose 11 formed at the front of the slide block 11, by transversely aperturing the body of the same, which hole is-vertically elongated, has its front and rear edges substantially parallel, and is incurved at the upper edge, as shown in Fig. 1.

The hooked portion or nose 11 of the slide block, is curved downwardly and rearwardly and rounded on this edge as is also the rear upright edge of the hook nose, which part is completed below by a forward extension of the aperture in the block that separates the free lower terminal of the portion 11 from the lower forwardly extending integral finger piece 11, that has its front end laterally sloped on the side nearest to the limb 12 of the latch block 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

A longitudinal groove is formed at the transverse center of the draft lug 10 in its flattened top edge as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, this groove being designed to receive a mating tongue 11 produced on the lower end of the hook nose 11, and thus afford lateralsupport for this portion of the slide block 11.

The rearwardly extending limb 12 of the latch block 12, is preferably shaped at the side of its rear end so as to cause it to conform with the shape of the adjacent side of the depending hook nose 11, its length permitting it to have contact with the nose when the co upling limb 12 is projected transversely of the drawhead for a coupled engagement with a similar latch block limb.

The rearward extremity of the latch block limb 12, is rounded from belowso as to slope it as shown in Fig. 1, this provision being made to adapt the limb mentioned for a proper engagement with the lateral slope on the end of the finger piece 11 so that an upward movement of the slide block 11, which causes the finger piece to impinge thelimb 12, will communicate a forward swinging motion to the latch block limb, and thus produce an outward rocking movement of the coupling limb 12 of the latch block for its release from a coupled latch block having a like form.

The slide block 11 has an integral ring eye or other transverse perforation formed in its upper end, to allow said block to have a loose connection formed with a rock arm on arock shaft that is rotatably sustained across the end of a car in the usual way provided to draw a coupling pin, or release a Janney latch jaw. This being awell known expedient is omitted from the drawings.

It will be seen, that when the slide block 11, is in lowered adjustment, and the latch block has been previously rocked into a released condition, which will dispose its rearwardly extended limb 12", in front of the hook nose on the slide block, the impinge of an approaching car coupling of the same style will cause the coupling limb of its latch block to strike the forward edge of the limb 12, and this will force said limb against the front edge of the hook nose 11 which latter being curve sloped downward and rearward, will be elevated by such an enforced contact of parts; so that the limb 12 will be allowed to pass rearwardly below the hook nose and by forward draft strain applied to the coupling limb of the latch block be forced into contact with the side of the slide block, thus elfecting a coupled engagement of two of the improved couplings.

A feature of the improvement consists in the provision of a locking dog 14, that is formed like a bolt having a head-like enlargement on the lower end, this dog being loosely located in a vertical perforation in the upper jaw 10 of the drawhead 10, (Fig. 6) a weak spiral spring 15 being provided to depress the dog, as shown in Fig. 6.

The dog 14 is designed to engage acupped depression 14? formed in the upper face of the latch block 12, at such a point as will align the dog and socket hole mentioned when the coupling limb of the latch block is projected across the front of the drawhead, and the limb 12 is in contact with the slide block 11, as before explained, so as to lock the latch block in the condition mentioned.

It will be seen in Fig. 3, that the depression or socket hole 14* is slightly elongated, and given a degree of curvature corresponding with an are having the axis of the pivot bolt 13 as a center, so that the latch block will be limited in its uncoupling movement to atravel that will adapt it to readily receive the impinge of a similar coupling, which renders the automatic coupling of two of the improved devices assured at all times, as it is not possible for the latch block to rock outwardly farther than the elongated socket hole will permit.

As it is contemplated to hold the latch block 12, swung into the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, by the use of the dog 14 and thus afford free access to the recess of the drawhead to couple an ordinary elongated coupling link with the draft lug l0 if this is necessary, there is another socket hole 14' formed in the upper jaw at a point opposite the hole 14, as represented in Fig. 3, this cupped cavity being circular and of a diam eter and depth which will freely receive the head of the dog 14, when the latch block 12 is swung into the position mentioned, this adjustment being effected manually when clesired.

It is claimed for this improved car coupling that it possesses novel features of special advantage, being easy to construct, strong, not liable to derangement in use, automatic in operation in the matter of coupling with another of the same construction, and adapted for a coupled engagement with a common car coupling of the link and pin type, or one of the improved couplings, by a common link, a pin in this case being inserted through the perforations in the coupling limb on the latch block 12, after the link mentioned has been inserted in the slot of said coupling limb.

The release of the improved car coupling is effected as before explained, in a safe man- 0 1. The combination, with a forwardly rev cessed drawhead, and an L-shaped latch block pivoted between two jaws at one side of the front portion of the drawhead, of a vertically movable dog arranged to slide in the upper side of the latch block to lock it in open adj ustment, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a forwardly recessed drawhead, and an L-shaped latch block pivoted between two jaws at one side of the front portion of the drawhead, of a vertically movable spring pressed dog, arranged to slide in the upper jaw of the drawhead and engage an elongated socket hole in the upper side of the latch block, to limit the swinging movement of said block, substantially as described.

OTTO GALE OGDEN.

Witnesses:

B. B. RIOKETTS, R. H. CAMPBELL. 

